Inside the small inn room, the atmosphere was a bit stuffy.
The few remaining banknotes and loose coins were spread on the plain bed sheet, like a group of listless defeated soldiers.
"Sigh..." Shane couldn't help sighing, poking these pitifully few coins with his finger.
Hot springs, buying a sword, plus miscellaneous expenses on the road—from the money earned from the bandits and the blacksmith shop, all they had left together now was just over 20,000 Jewels.
If they hadn't "mooched" off Gildarts for the train tickets to Magnolia and food and lodging along the way, they probably wouldn't even be able to afford staying in this cheapest inn for a few days.
"Erza..." Shane looked helplessly at the girl sitting on the edge of the bed.
He really didn't understand. There was obviously a nice girls' dormitory available; why did this girl insist on squeezing into an inn with him?
Erza glanced at him, too lazy to respond. She casually untied the newly bought longsword from her waist and handed it over.
Shane took it somewhat unexpectedly. She had been treating this sword like a treasure, not even letting him touch it before.
"Well, we'll definitely take on commissions later... need to keep it in better condition."
Being stared at by Shane made her a bit uncomfortable, so Erza turned her head aside and explained.
"That's what I said from the start! Didn't you say 'This is my sword' and refuse to give it to me no matter what?" Shane couldn't help complaining, but he still gripped the hilt tightly.
He switched to the Archer class, activated [Arrow Construction], and temporarily regarded it as a special "arrow" for enhancement.
Erza watched quietly from the side, a trace of amazement flashing in her eyes.
The minute impurities on the blade were visibly removed bit by bit, and the structure and toughness of the entire sword were constantly optimized.
"Although I've seen it several times, this strengthening method... feels incredible every time I see it."
After a while, Shane handed back the optimized longsword. The blade seemed more lustrous and sharper than before.
"Still far from it," he shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of longing. "In the future, I can easily create swords ten times stronger than this."
Shane had a premonition that once he knew Saber's True Name, his forging ability would undergo a qualitative leap.
But the most pressing problem right now...
Was poverty.
The remaining money was only enough for the two of them to stay in this inn for a few more days.
Erza put away the sword and suggested, "Let's go to the guild tomorrow to see if there are suitable commissions. If we need to leave the city, we can check out first. Cheap inns like this are everywhere anyway."
Shane nodded in agreement and teased, "Hmm, makes sense. Erza, I didn't expect you to become so thrifty."
He could feel that Erza seemed to have a good impression of that lively guild. When mentioning Fairy Tail, there was an imperceptible light in her eyes.
"Then sleep early, go to the guild early tomorrow." Erza acted crisply. As soon as her voice fell, she lay down straight away, pulled over the quilt, and almost the moment she closed her eyes, her breathing became even and long.
Shane looked at her ability to fall asleep instantly and couldn't help envying her. "Eat well, sleep soundly... what kind of structure are this guy's nerves made of..."
However, the girl's sleeping posture was unflattering.
After a while, like a small animal seeking a heat source, she unconsciously turned sideways, her arm instinctively hugging over.
"Hey..." Shane felt his body sink and pushed her away somewhat disdainfully.
The other party had no reaction.
"If only I had the money to book two rooms..." Shane felt his personal space was severely invaded. He once again profoundly experienced the helplessness of poverty.
He thought for a moment, forcefully pulled his arm out, and then quickly stuffed the pillow next to him into her arms.
Erza subconsciously hugged the pillow tightly in her sleep, rubbing her head against it like a cat.
"Phew..." Shane exhaled, hurriedly moved to the foot of the bed, cleared a small space for himself, and lay down.
Temporarily solving the "sleep crisis," Shane turned his attention back to business. He closed his eyes, and his consciousness sank into the Book of Heroic Spirits within him.
Now, it was harvest time!
"View completed trial settlement!"
[Trial Mission: Vigorous Thirst for Knowledge and Curiosity That Needs Restraint — Complete!]
[Comment: You rejected easily obtainable intelligence to restrain your vigorous curiosity. One needs to seek knowledge, but also needs self-discipline. Your behavior conforms to the intent of a "Heroic Spirit."]
The evaluation was standard, and it didn't display any "Reward Added" text.
But Shane wasn't disappointed.
After all, he didn't delve deep into this trial, and even the most troublesome Emotion Demon wasn't personally dealt with by him. He was already satisfied with successfully settling and getting the basic reward.
The reward for this trial was one [Summoning] Depth Increase authority and one [Filter Summoning Heroic Spirit Characteristics] authority.
Shane considered carefully. Saber's True Name hadn't been cracked yet. Using these authorities rashly now seemed a bit wasteful.
He decided to save the authority gained this time temporarily. Waiting until he accumulated more in the future to perform a new Heroic Spirit summon might be more effective.
After planning the use of authority, he thought for a while about life in Magnolia, and a strong sense of fatigue welled up.
Learning Requip Magic during the day consumed unexpectedly much brainpower. He yawned and prepared to lie down and rest too.
However, the moment his consciousness was about to sink into sleep, exactly like last time, a wild and blazing warm current emerged silently, instantly swallowing his perception.
"Saber's illusion?" Shane reacted immediately, startled at first, then filled with joy.
After so many days, finally waited for the second illusion!
Just completed a new trial too, double happiness, double happiness!
It was still that seemingly boundless world of fire, the scorching air distorting vision.
But this time, Shane's feeling was completely different from last time. He was no longer passively immersed in it, but more like floating in a third-party, higher perspective, looking down at this flame.
Clang... Clang... Clang...
The first thing that entered his ears was a steady and long, seemingly ceaseless heavy hammering sound.
Interspersed with it was the violent quenching sound of Pshhh— when red-hot iron was suddenly plunged into cold water, raising large swathes of white steam, which were instantly dispersed by the surrounding high temperature.
Shane's gaze inevitably focused on the center surrounded by flames.
There, a figure was facing away from him. Or rather, Shane's perspective couldn't see the person's face clearly, only a blurred silhouette under the illumination of the roaring furnace fire, revealing a mountain-like concentration.
The person stood in front of a huge anvil, arm rising and falling steadily, hammering the red-hot sword blank. Sparks flew with every strike, like gorgeous fireworks during a festival.
Exquisitely crafted, perfectly shaped swords were born in his hands one by one.
However, the next scene deeply puzzled Shane.
That person seemed to have no attachment to these masterpieces.
He just held up these newly made swords and scrutinized them for a moment under the firelight. Shane could even "feel" the scrutiny flashing in that gaze, and the subsequent, imperceptible shake of the head.
Then, he unhesitatingly gripped the blade with his hand, and accompanied by a crisp crack that made one's heart ache, snapped it with his bare hands. Like discarding scrap iron, he tossed it behind him.
Behind him, broken swords had already piled up into a small hill shining with a desolate metallic luster.
"Is he... dissatisfied?" Shane couldn't help guessing, feeling both puzzled and pained.
In his opinion, any of those discarded swords, if leaked out, would be famous weapons fought over and praised by the world. Why, in this person's eyes, did they all seem to have intolerable flaws?
Holding this confusion, he concentrated, wanting to see the picture more clearly—
The illusion, however, froze abruptly at this moment.